The Malik Report

The first thing you notice about the Red Wings' management--when you're around them for, say, a prospect camp's worth of time, anyway--is that they're in some seriously good shape under those baggy track jackets, and while Wings assistant GM Jim Nill isn't the kind to engage in the same kinds of punishing workouts that Mike Babcock and Ryan Martin enjoy, DetroitRedWings.com's Bill Roose reports that Wings assistant Nill will be taking part in quite the athletic endeavor, and he's doing so for a touching reason:

For someone who enjoyed a decade-long pro playing career, it seems odd that Jim Nill wasn’t much of a fan of running when it came to cardiovascular fitness. He still isn’t.

However, Nill’s antipathy for pounding the pavement won’t stop him from following through on a promise he made four months ago, one that he plans on seeing through – straight to the finish line.

The Red Wings’ assistant general manager will make his long-distance racing debut when he tackles the Chicago Marathon next month as a tribute to his wife, Bekki, who is battling cancer.

“She’s the one that got me into it and got some of her friends into it,” Nill said. “She was doing the training but with her feet and the chemo, she just can’t. … It’s too much, so I’m running for her.”

About The Malik Report

The Malik Report is a destination for all things Red Wings-related. I offer biased, perhaps unprofessional-at-times and verbose coverage of my favorite team, their prospects and developmental affiliates. I've joined the Kukla's Korner family with five years of blogging under my belt, and I hope you'll find almost everything you need to follow your Red Wings at a place where all opinions are created equal and we're all friends, talking about hockey and the team we love to follow.